The basic requirement of the “Best Picture” winner at the annual Academy Awards is that it genuinely be a well-received, American released film. The choices are sometimes on point and at other times completely out in left field –foul territory. Instead of celebrating all the great films that the Academy has picked, why not celebrate with the ten worst “Best Picture” winners at the Oscars? Surprisingly, as much as it snubbed other great films like Hugo this year, The Artist did not make the list. 

10. 1975 – Milos Forman’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – There’s a reason why this is #10 – because it’s an almost undisputed good movie. But, of any movie that has ever been nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, Barry Lyndon (also nominated in ’75) might be the most deserving. 

(Photo by flickr user charleschinaski)

9. 2000 – Ridley Scott’s Gladiator – Steven Soderbergh’s Traffic was easily the best nomination on this list, but it just didn’t have the subliminal “free the slaves” message that Gladiator had that the Academy judges like. If you want to watch a REAL film about the treachery of the Roman Empire, watch Kubrick’s Spartacus (from 1960.) 

8. 1977 – John G. Avildsen’s Rocky – Yes, it’s a groundbreaking sports movie, but is it better than Taxi Driver and All The President's Men? Not even close. Even in 1977, the Academy wasn’t apt to giving Martin Scorsese (a cokehead at the time) a Best Picture award, something they neglected to do this past Sunday, too. 

(Photo by flickr user TheTravisBickle)

7. 1994 – Robert Zemeckis’ Forrest Gump– I know this is the feel good movie of the hippie generation, but come on now… It’s a silly exaggeration of the American Dream through a character with Asperger syndrome. People seem to forget how badly Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction got snubbed with this one. 

6. 2009 – Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker – Besides 2011, this may have been the worst year for Best Picture nominations of all time. This marked yet another snub for Tarantino, after all, his Inglorious Basterds was the only truly great nominee. 

(Photo by flickr user Las mejores películas)

5. 2010 – Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech – You’re gonna tell me that this is a better movie than True Grit and The Social Network? You’re on crack, fool!

4. 1998 – John Madden’s Shakespeare in Love – Why? Maybe because the word "Shakespeare" was in the title… I’m still trying to figure out how the Academy slyly snubbed the two seemingly front-running WWII films - Terrance Malick’s The Thin Red Line and Spielberg’s bombastic WWII film Saving Private Ryan - but no answer has come to me yet. 

3. 1980 – Robert Redford’s Ordinary People – The only positive thing that came out of the 1980 Oscars was the fact that Bobby DeNiro won Best Actor in a Leading Role for Raging Bull, but they still failed to recognize it as the best, most everlasting picture of the year. 

(Photo by flickr user heit007)

2. 1997 - James Cameron’s Titanic – Ladies, please: Don’t give me shit for this one. You can’t truthfully tell me that this is a movie worth watching more than once. I’m not 12 anymore, so I don’t care to see Kate Winslet’s boobs (enough to watch the movie) and I can now at my age tell shitty CGI effects when I see them. Needless to say, I won’t be going to see this cliché love story when it comes out in 3D. 

1. 1990 – Kevin Costner’s Dances With Wolves – This is the least deserved award the Academy has ever given. Oh, Goodfellas was too violent for you? What oblivious, pretentious people you are. This is example #1 of why no one takes the Oscars seriously.